Improvement in car-couplings



er' ATEN T QFFIGE.

PELEG C. BARLOW, OF BEVERLY, VEST VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,368, dated July 25, 1671.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PELE@ C. BARLOW, of Beverly, in the county of Randolph and State of West Virginia, have invented an Improved Car-Coup ling; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section; and Fig. 3 is a plan, showing the two draw-heads disconnected.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawing indicate corresponding parts.

rIhis invention relates to that class of car-couplings in which each draw-head is provided with a projecting snap-hook on the right-hand side, and a recess with a shoulder or keeper at its bottom on the left-hand side, so that as any two drawheads come together the hooks will enter the corresponding mortises in the opposite draw-heads, and thus doubly lock the cars together, as shown in Fig. 1. The invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the hooks or coupling-irons, in connectlon with the drawheads,whereby the hooks themselves act as buffers and prevent the rigid draw-heads from coming in contact with each other, as hereinafter described.

In the drawing, A A are the draw-heads, each being provided near the left-hand edge with a short mortise or slot, w, extending vertically through and open in front, except at the lower edge, Where it is bridged by a part, a, ofthe casting, or by a wrought-iron bolt, over which the coupling-iron C hooks, as shown in Fig. 2. A longer mortise is provided `near the right-hand side of the draw-head to receive and hold the coupling-iron,wl1ich is secured therein by inea-ns of a bolt, e, and provided with a spring, B, to hold it down and insure its proper operation. The coupling-irons are formed of uniform thickness, vertically and laterally, except Where they are beveled at their front ends to insure entering the opposite draw-head properly, and except where they are each cut away, as shown at s, Fig. 2, so as to form two shoulders, the forward one of which hooks over the casting a, and locks the cars together, while the rear one, projecting in advance of its draw-head, acts as a buffer, receiving the impact of the opposite draw-head and never allowing the two to come in contact. To give the buffers the requisite elasticity, rubber springs, i, are placed behind them and they are allowed to slide longitudinally to a slight degrec, by means of a slot through which the bolts e pass.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination with the draw-heads constructed as described, and with the springs arranged as shown, the slotted and pivoted coupling-irons C, when provided on their under side with the recess or gain,s, so arranged that its front shoulder hooks over the casting a, while its rear shoulder projects beyond the face of the draw-heads and operates as a bu'er, substantially as described.

P. C. BARLOW.

Witnesses:

N. K. ELLswoRTH, A. G. RAwLINes. 

